Motorized grinding machine for grinding rails



H. GUNTERMANN Feb. 18, 1969 MOTORIZED GRINDING MACHINE FOR GRINDINGRAILS 7 Sheet Filed July 12, 1966 INVENTOR.

HANS GUNTERMANN AT RNEY Feb. 18, 1969 H. GUNTERMANN 3,427,753

MOTORIZED GRINDING MACHINE FOB GRINDING RAILS Filed July 12, 1966 Sheet2 of 2 INVENTOR.

HANS GUNTERMANN United States Patent E 29,907 US. (:1. 51178 4 ClaimsInt. Cl. B24b 23/00, 7/10, 9/00 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE A frame hasrollers thereon for engaging a rail to be ground. A first pair oflongitudinally spaced pivot means extend longitudinally of the frame andsupport a pair of rocker arms. A pair of spaced rocker arms arepivotally suported at one end thereof by the first pair of pivot means,and a second pair of longitudinally spaced pivot means extendinglongitudinally of the frame are supported at the opposite ends of therocker arms. A grinding means is pivotally supported by theselast-mentioned pivot means such that the grinding means is adapted toswing to either side of vertical with respect to the frame to grind bothsides of the rail head of an associated rail.

This invention relates to a motorized grinding machine which is adaptedto be manually moved on a rail to be ground and the grinding means ofwhich is pivotally mounted about an axis extending in the longitudinalmachine direction. The machine includes a frame having rollers securedthereto which latter are adapted to engage a rail to be ground. Themachine can be employed for grinding both the tread and the sidesurfaces of rail heads.

:In order to eliminate irregularities on rail heads, such as excesswelding metal for example, it is known to use motorized grindingmachines which are secured and guided at the rail head and includerotating grinding ele ments working at the end face thereof, whereby theweld may be profiled either entirely or partially in conformance to therail which simultaneously serves as a guide.

In a grinding machine of this known type, a frame sup porting a grindingdevice and feeler rolls is pivotally mounted about a rigid axle,extending in the longitudinal machine direction, in a machine framewhich latter is provided with rollers whereby the frame is supported ona rail to be ground and positioned opposite thereto. The grinding meansand feeler rolls are displaceably mounted with respect to the machineframe.

Also known is a motorized grinding machine which is guided on two railsand in which a frame carrying the grinding device and copying rollers ispivotally mounted about an axis extending in the longitudinal machinedirection in upwardly open rigid frame or main bearings.

These known motorized grinding machines, whose frames are guided on bothrails of the track, have the disadvantage, however, that the weld can beprofiled or shaped only partially in conformance with the rail headsince the grinding devices are pivotal through a small angle only withrespect to the machine frame. A nearly horizontal position of thegrinding device, as is necessary for grinding the sides of the railhead, can not be obtained with the known machines because the pivotingaxis, i.e., that of the rocker shaft, being rigid in the frame andpositioned in the plane of symmetry of the rail to be ground can not bemoved transversely to the rail, while the machine frame remains in thevertical position, in

order to displace the pivot axis into a plane parallel to the side ofthe rail head and outside of the latter for grinding the sides thereof.

3,427,758 Patented Feb. 18, 1969 Also known to the art is a grindingdevice whose frame carrying the grinding means and the rollers includeson both ends thereof guide and supporting rollers which are pivotal withrespect to the frame. While the sides of the rail head are ground, theguide rollers are pivoted outwardly, at which time two of the guiderollers will run on the side of the rail which is opposite to the sideon which the work is to be performed, While an additional roller engagesunder the rail head on the working side of the rail. The supportingrollers run on the rail foot when the machine is pivoted.

This grinding machine also has disadvantages among which is the factthat a proper guide for grinding is effected only when the device hasbeen pivoted into an approximately horizontal working position and,further, inthis case only if the width of the rail head has thetheoretical value. In addition, when the machine is pivoted, the guideand supporting rollers come into contact with the rail-securing orrail-connecting means so that these must be removed prior to beginningthe grinding operation.

In another known rail grinding apparatus, with which the rail head maybe ground within the entire range of the vertical to the horizontalposition of the apparatus the grinding device is pivotally mounted aboutan axis extending in the longitudinal machine direction, with respect toa machine frame provided with guide means. Roller spindles, constitutingthe guide means, enclose therebetween an acute angle, the apex of whichis positioned above the rail in the traveling position. In order toachieve, in this particular machine, the required oblique position ofthe grinding device for grinding the radii of the rail head and thesides thereof, the machine frame is pivoted out of the vertical positionthereof and also the grinding device is pivoted about a rigid frame axisextending in the longitudinal machine direction with respect to thepivoted machine frame. The pivot axis for the grinding device, aboutwhich the machine frame is pivotal simultaneously, is positioned in thiscase outside of the plane of symmetry of the rail to be ground and isrigidly connected to the machine frame.

The disadvantage of this motorized grinding machine is that during thegrinding of the sides of the rail head, the machine frame must assume aslanted position in order to shift the pivot axis into a plane parallelto the side of the rail and positioned outside of the rail head sincegrinding of these surfaces at a horizontal position of the grindingdevice would not be possible otherwise. A further adverse effect is thatthe entire motorized grinding machine must be reversed for grinding theopposite side of the rail head so that the pivot axis, being rigid atthe frame, will be positioned also on that side in a plane parallel tothe side of the rail head and positioned outside of the latter.

The present invention provides a motorized grinding machine which ismanually movable on a rail and is guided on either one or both rails ofa track. The machine includes a grinding device which is pivotallymounted in a machine frame about an axis extending in the longitudinalmachine direction. The machine frame remains in the vertical positionindependently of the degree of pivoting of the grinding device and thispermits, without reversal of the machine, the profiling of a weld, inconformance to the rail serving as a guide, within the area of bothsides of a rail head, of the transition radii, and of the tread in oneworking operation. The grinding device is so mounted within the frameand guided and secured at the rail head in a manner such that no machineparts will come into contact with the conventional rail-securing orrail-connecting means while the sides of the rail head are being ground.

The foregoing grinding operation can be performed by the grindingmachine of the invention because the axis about which the grindingdevice is pivotal is mounted about a parallel fixed frame axis extendingin the longitudinal machine direction.

In one embodiment of the motorized grinding machine of the presentinvention, the pivotal axis of the grinding device is connected with theframe to which the rollers are attached by means of rocker arms and theconstruction is such that the ends of the rocker arms pivot about anaxis which is rigid with the frame and extends in the longitudinalmachine direction. The other end of the rocker arms are rotatablysecured to pivot pins carrying the grinding device so that when thelatter are pivoted about the rigid frame axis, the pivot pins carryingthe grinding device describe a cylindrical surface about thegeneratrices of which, being parallel to the frame axis, the grindingdevice is simultaneously pivotal.

A further feature of the motorized grinding machine of the invention isthat the rollers, mounted at both ends of the machine frame, are mountedfor transverse displacement with respect to the frame.

The invention will be further illustrated by reference to theaccompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is a view in elevation of oneembodiment of a motorized grinding machine according to the inventionshown in position for grinding a rail tread,

FIGURE 2 is an end view in elevation of the grinding machine of FIGURE1,-

FIGURE 3 is an end view in elevation of the grinding machine in theposition it occupies for grinding one side of a rail head, and

FIGURE 4 illustrates the grinding machine in a posi tion pivoted through180 from the position shown in FIGURE 3 and in the position it occupiesfor grinding the other side of the rail head.

As shown in the drawings, a grinding device 4 is mounted in an outermachine frame 2 which latter is movable on the rail 1 and is supportedby the rollers 3. The grinding device includes a grinding wheel 5,operating at the end face thereof, a driving motor 6, a frame member 7,a frame member 8, a worm feed 9, and two or more copying and feelerrolls mounted on the frame member 7. Using the worm feed 9, the grindingwheel, together with the motor 6 and the frame part 8, may be raised andlowered with respect to the frame member 7 and also with respect to theouter machine frame 2. Mounted at the end faces of the frame member 7about the pivot pins 11 are the rocker arms 12 which are rotatablyconnected to the pivot pins 13 in the machine frame 2. The rocker arms12 are subject to the spring pressure of the sidemounted springs 14 andare retained in the normal position by means of conventional lockingdetents 15 provided in the machine frame 2. The grinding device 4 isconnected with the frame 2 in the vertical position by means of a latch16 mounted on the machine frame 2. The rollers 3, mounted at both endsof the machine frame 2, are mounted in the bifurcated roller supports17. The roller supports 17 are provided with threaded bolts 18 whichpass through slots in the frame brackets 19, the slots ex tendingtransversely to the longitudinal plane of the frame. The roller supports17 are secured in position against twisting by means of the guide bars20. The bolts 18 also pass through holes in the adjusting levers 22,which levers are rotatably mounted about the studs 21, the latter beingconnected to the frame brackets 19. By loosening and tightening theadjusting nuts 23, the roller supports 17, together with the rollers 3,may be displaced transversely with respect to the longitudinal plane ofthe frame 2, using the adjusting levers 22, and may be clamped to theframe in the desired adjusted position.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the grinding device 4 for grinding thetread of the rail is in the vertical position and this position ismaintained for grinding the entire tread unless the tread is curved. Ifthe tread is curved, this position constitutes the starting position.The axis A, with which the pins 13 are coaxial, is rigid with the frameand the axis B, with which the pins 11 are coaxial, both are positionedin a plane which is parallel to the plane of symmetry of the rail andthe distance of this plane from the latter plane is determined by thedegree of displacement of the rollers 3 with respect to the frame 2. Asshown in FIGURES 2 to 4, the rollers are suitably so displaced, in thestarting position thereof, with respect to the frame that the axes A andB are positioned above a running edge of the rail. For the purpose ofgrinding the head curvatures and the side surfaces of the rail head,according to FIGURES 2 and 3, the grinding device 4, after the latch 16has been disengaged, is pivoted about the axis B with respect to themachine frame 2, which latter remains in the vertical position at whichtime the copying and feeler rolls 10, as well as the flanges of therollers 3 are supported against the rail, while the axis B, with whichthe supporting pins 11 are coaxial, is displaced, due to thesimultaneous pivoting action about the rigid frame axis A and dependingupon the degree of the pivoting action, into planes which are parallelto the plane of symmetry of the rail and farther removed therefrom,whereby a lifting of the grinding device is simultaneously effected. Inorder to grind the side of the rail head as shown in FIGURE 4, and afterthe grinding device 4 has been pivoted into the initial positionthereof, the rollers 3 are displaced or shifted with the aid of thelevers 22, after loosening the adjusting nuts 23, with respect to theframe 2 in a manner such that the axes A and B will be positioned abovethe running edge of the side of the rail head. After tightening the nuts23, pivoting of the grinding device about the axes A and B for thepurpose of grinding the side of the rail head may be accomplished in themanner described above. The length of the rocker arms 12 and thediameter of the grinding wheel 5 are so proportioned that, as shown inFIGURES 3 and 4, with the grinding device being pivoted, no machineparts will be lowered to such an extent that they contact theconventional rail-securing and rail-connecting means.

Due to the fact that the machine frame 2 can remain in the verticalposition in all of the positions of the grinding device 4 on the rail tobe ground and since a reversal of the machine for grinding both sides ofa rail head is not required, it is also possible, in accordance with thepresent invention, to provide the machine with a cantilever which issupported, with a treadless roller, on the rail which is positionedopposite to the rail to be ground so that the motorized grinding machineof the present invention may be selectively moved on either one or bothrails of a track without adversely affecting the other advantagesthereof.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modificationsmay be made within the scope of the present invention without departingfrom the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all suchmodifications.

What is claimed is:

1. A motorized grinding machine for grinding rails which comprises aframe having rollers thereon adapted to engage a rail to be ground, afirst pair of longitudinally spaced pivot means supported by said frameand defining a first pivot axis extending longitudinally of said frame,a pair of spaced rocker arms each of which is pivotally connected to oneof said first pivot means, a second pair of longitudinally spaced pivotmeans each of which is supported by one of said rocker arms and defininga second pivot axis extending longitudinally of said frame, and grindingmeans pivotally connected to each of said second pivot means, saidrocker arms being freely swingable to either side of a vertical planepassing through said first pivot axis and said grinding means beingfreely swingable to either side of a vertical plane passing through saidsecond pivot axis so that the grinding means is adapted to readily grindboth sides of a rail head of an associated rail.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein when the grinding means isdisposed in vertical position, said first and second pivot axes arepositioned in a vertical plane 'which is parallel to the plane ofsymmetry of an associated rail.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said rocker arms are offsetlongitudinally from the adjacent frame portions so as to be freelyswingable with respect to the frame, said grinding means being offsetlongitudinally with respect to the adjacent rocker arms so as to befreely swingable with respect to the rocker arms.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim '1 wherein said rollers aredisplaceable transversely of said frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,651,888 9/1953 Comstock.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,254,605 1/1961 France.

800,766 9/ 1958 Great Britain.

JAMES L. JONES, JR., Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 51-47

